Greenpeace-Russia Demands for Access to Environmental Information in St.-Petersburg

Members of Greenpeace in St.-Petersburg proposed to the city government a set of measures in order to prevent pollution of the Neva River and the Neva Bay. In the beginning of 2011, Valentina Matvienko, Governor of St.-Petersburg, taking part in the opening ceremony for a new stage of the city main sewer, stated that in 2012 anyone will be able to bathe within the St.-Petersburg territory.

Greenpeace, hardly believing such a statement, thinks that water of St.-Petersbug rivers cannot become clean and safe enough for bathing soon, even if their proposals will be fully fulfilled: there are too much hazardous substances accumulated in the river bottom layers.

Together with such measures as sewage waters discharge control enhancing and load lessening for sewage disposal works, the Greenpeace proposes to provide open access to official information on water purification quality in St.-Petersburg, and to oblige the Vodokanal state enterprise to publish regularly and openly data on its environmental impact.

Greenpeace activists offered to hand to the Governor a gift – a set of swimming accessories including a beach umbrella and a pair of flippers to be used when it will be possible to bathe in the city. But the Governor administration rejected their gift.